Configuring a discard timer

ABSTRACT

A first wireless access network node receives, from a second wireless access network node, delay information relating to a delay in buffering data at a protocol layer in the second wireless access network node. The first wireless access network node configures a discard timer based on the received delay information for a packet to be sent to a user equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/489,956, filedSep. 18, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

As the demand for wireless data communication using wireless userequipments (UEs) has increased, service providers are increasinglyfacing challenges in meeting capacity demands in regions where thedensity of users is relatively high. To address capacity issues,heterogeneous networks can be deployed.

A heterogeneous network can include various different types of networknodes, including some combination of the following: macro wirelessaccess network nodes that provide macro cells, pico wireless accessnetwork nodes that provide pico cells, femto wireless access networknodes that provide femto cells, and relay nodes. A pico cell refers to acell that has a relatively small coverage area, such as within abuilding, a train station, airport, aircraft, or other small areas. Afemto cell is a cell that is designed for use in a home or smallbusiness. A femto cell is associated with a closed subscriber group(CSG), which specifies that only users within a specific group areallowed to access the femto cell. A relay node is used for relaying datafrom one wireless entity to another wireless entity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some implementations are described with respect to the followingfigures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example communications networkaccording to some implementations.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams of connectivity among variousnetwork nodes, according to some examples.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of protocol stacks in a macro wireless accessnetwork node and a small cell wireless access network node, according tosome examples.

FIG. 5 is block diagram of components in a macro wireless access networknode and a small cell wireless access network node, according to someimplementations.

FIG. 6 is a message flow diagram of a process according to someimplementations.

FIG. 7 is block diagram of components in a macro wireless access networknode and a small cell wireless access network node, according to furtherimplementations.

FIG. 8 is a message flow diagram of a process according to someimplementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An example heterogeneous network arrangement is shown in FIG. 1, whichincludes a macro cell 102 and various small cells 106, 112 within thecoverage area of the macro cell 102. Although just two small cells 106and 112 are depicted in FIG. 1, it is noted that there can be additionalsmall cells within the coverage area of the macro cell 102. Also, therecan be multiple macro cells. The macro cell 102 is provided by a macrowireless access network node 104, while the small cells 106, 112 areprovided by respective small cell wireless access network nodes 108,114.

The small cell wireless access network nodes 108, 114 can include one ormore of the following: pico wireless access network nodes, femtowireless access network nodes, and relay nodes. A macro wireless accessnetwork node generally is considered a higher power network node, sinceit is able to transmit wireless signals at a higher power level. Picowireless access network nodes, femto wireless access network nodes, andrelay nodes are generally considered lower power network nodes, sincesuch network nodes transmit signals at a lower power level than thetransmissions of the macro wireless access network node.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the macro cell 102 provided by the macro wirelessaccess network node 104 can overlay the coverage areas of the lowerpower network nodes. In the ensuing discussion, lower power networknodes such as pico wireless access network nodes, femto wireless accessnetwork nodes, and relay nodes are referred to as small cell wirelessaccess network nodes. The cells provided by the lower power networknodes are referred to as small cells.

FIG. 1 further depicts user equipments (UEs) 110 and 116. The UE 110 iswithin the coverage area of the small cell 106, while the UE 116 iswithin the coverage area of the small cell 112. Note that both UEs 110and 116 are within the coverage area of the macro cell 102. Althoughjust two UEs are shown in FIG. 1, it is noted that additional UEs can bepresent in other examples.

A first wireless connection 140 can be established between the UE 116and the small cell wireless access network node 114. In addition, asecond wireless connection 142 can be established between the UE 116 andthe macro wireless access network node 104. In such an arrangement, theUE 116 is considered to have established dual concurrent wirelessconnections with the macro wireless access network node 104 and thesmall cell wireless access network node 114. In other examples, the UE116 can establish multiple concurrent wireless connections with themacro wireless access network node 104 and with multiple small cellwireless access network nodes. In some other examples, the UE 116 canestablish multiple concurrent wireless connections with multiple macrowireless access network nodes and with multiple small cell wirelessaccess network nodes.

The UE 110 can similarly establish multiple concurrent wirelessconnections with one or more macro wireless access network nodes and oneor more small cell wireless access network nodes.

The UEs 110 and 116 are examples of dual-connection (or more generally,multi-connection) capable UEs that are able to establish dual (ormultiple) concurrent connections with the macro wireless access networknode 104 and one or more small cell wireless access network nodes. Insome cases, a legacy UE may be present, which is not capable ofestablishing multiple concurrent wireless connections.

FIG. 1 also shows a backhaul link 144 or 146 between the macro wirelessaccess network node 104 and each respective small cell wireless accessnetwork node 108 or 114. The backhaul link 144 or 146 can represent alogical communication link between two nodes; the backhaul link caneither be a direct point-to-point link or can be routed through anothercommunication network or node. In some implementations, a backhaul linkcan be a wired link. In other implementations, a backhaul link caninclude a wireless link.

In some implementations, the macro cell 102 (and more specifically themacro wireless access network node 104) can provide all of the controlplane functions on behalf of a UE, while a small cell (more specificallythe corresponding small cell wireless access network node) provides atleast a portion of the user plane functions for a multi-connectioncapable UE (a UE that is capable of concurrently connecting to macro andsmall cells). Note that the macro wireless access network node 104 canalso provide user plane functions for the multi-connection capable UE.

Control plane functions involve exchanging certain control signalingbetween the macro wireless access network node 104 and a UE to performspecified control tasks, such as any or some combination of thefollowing: network attachment of the UE, authentication of the UE,setting up radio bearers for the UE, mobility management to managemobility of the UE (mobility management includes at least determiningwhich infrastructure network nodes will create, maintain or drop uplinkand downlink connections carrying control or user plane information as aUE moves about in a geographic area), performance of a handover decisionbased on neighbor cell measurements sent by the UE, transmission of apaging message to the UE, broadcasting of system information, control ofUE measurement reporting, and so forth. Although examples of controltasks and control messages in a control plane are listed above, it isnoted that in other examples, other types of control messages andcontrol tasks can be provided. More generally, the control plane canperform call control and connection control functions, and can providemessaging for setting up calls or connections, supervising calls orconnections, and releasing calls or connections.

User plane functions relate to communicating traffic data (e.g. voicedata, user data, application data, etc.) between the UE and a wirelessaccess network node. User plane functions can also include exchangingcontrol messages between a wireless access network node and a UEassociated with communicating the traffic data, flow control, errorrecovery, and so forth.

A small cell connection can be added to or removed from a UE under thecontrol of the macro wireless access network node 104. In someimplementations, the action of adding or removing a small cell for a UEcan be transparent to a core network 122 of the mobile communicationsnetwork. The core network 122 includes a control node 124 and a datagateway 126. Although just one control node 124 and data gateway 126 isshown in FIG. 1, it is noted that in other examples, multiple controlnodes 124 and/or multiple data gateways 126 can be provided.

The data gateway 126 can be coupled to an external packet data network(PDN) 128, such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), and so forth. FIG. 1 depicts the macro wireless networknode 104 connected to the control node 124 and data gateway 126 of thecore network 118. Although not shown, it is noted that the small cellwireless access network nodes can also be connected to the core networknodes.

Note that a legacy UE (a UE that is not capable of establishing multipleconcurrent wireless connections with a macro cell and one or more smallcells) can connect to either a macro cell or a small cell using standardwireless connection techniques.

When a UE moves under the coverage of a small cell, the macro wirelessaccess network node 104 may decide to offload some of the user planetraffic to the small cell. This offload is referred to as data offload.When data offload has been performed from the macro cell 104 to thesmall cell, then a UE that has a dual connection can transmit or receivedata to and from the corresponding small cell wireless access networknode. Additionally, the UE may also communicate user plane traffic withthe macro wireless access network node 104. Although reference is madeto data offload to one small cell, it is noted that in other examples,the macro cell 104 can perform data offload for the UE to multiple smallcells.

In some examples, the data offload causes the offloaded data to becommunicated between the macro wireless access network node 104 and therespective small cell wireless access network node 108 or 114 over therespective backhaul link 144 or 146.

In the ensuing discussion, reference is made to a dual-connectioncapable UE, which is a UE that is capable of establishing dualconcurrent connections with the macro wireless access network node 104and a small cell wireless access network node. It is noted thattechniques or mechanisms according to some implementations can beextended to scenarios where a UE has established more than twoconcurrent connections with the macro wireless access network node 104and multiple small cell wireless access network nodes.

In the dual connection scenario (where a UE has established dualconcurrent connections with the macro wireless access network node 104and a small cell wireless access network node), user plane data can becommunicated over the wireless connection between the small cellwireless access network node and the UE. In the downlink direction, userplane data can be sent from the macro wireless access network node 104to the small cell wireless access network node over the respectivebackhaul link, and the small cell wireless access network node can inturn send the downlink user plane data to the UE. It is noted that themacro wireless access network node 104 can also send downlink user planedata to the UE over the wireless connection between the macro wirelessaccess network node 104 and the UE.

Various protocol layers are provided in the macro wireless accessnetwork node 104 and each small cell wireless access network node toperform communications in the user plane. These protocol layers includea Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer as well as other lowerprotocol layers. Additional details regarding the PDCP layer and otherprotocol layers are discussed further below.

The PDCP layer can be associated with a discard timer for data units(also referred to as “packets”) that are communicated by the PDCP layer.Note that the data units can be uplink data units (data units sent fromthe UE to a wireless access network node) or downlink data units (dataunits sent from a wireless access network node to a UE).

When the PDCP layer receives a data unit (referred to as a Service DataUnit, SDU) to be transmitted, the SDU is placed in a PDCP buffer, and adiscard timer associated with the SDU is started. The discard timercontinues to run so long as confirmation is not received by the PDCPlayer regarding successful delivery of the PDCP SDU. Upon expiration ofthe discard timer, the SDU is discarded from the PDCP buffer, along withthe corresponding PDCP Protocol Data Unit (PDU). Note that the SDU isreceived by the PDCP layer, while the PDU is the data unit sent by thePDCP layer that includes content of the SDU. The SDU is received by thePDCP layer from a higher protocol layer, while the PDU is sent by thePDCP layer to a lower protocol layer. If the PDCP PDU has already beensent to a lower protocol layer by the PDCP layer, the PDCP layer canalso send a discard indication to the lower protocol layer to cause thelower protocol layer to discard the corresponding PDU.

Note that the PDCP SDU is also discarded from the PDCP buffer uponreceipt of a PDCP status report by the PDCP layer of successful deliveryof the PDCP SDU.

In a single connection scenario where a UE has established a wirelessconnection with just one wireless access network node, such as the macrowireless access network node 104, the PDCP layer and lower protocollayers reside in the same wireless access network node. In such ascenario, operation of the discard timer can proceed according to thenormal procedure as defined by the relevant specifications.

However, in scenarios where a UE has dual concurrent connections withthe macro wireless access network node and a small cell wireless accessnetwork node, then the PDCP layer may reside in the macro wirelessaccess network node, while lower protocol layers that interact with thePDCP layer can reside in both the macro wireless access network node andthe small cell wireless access network node. The discard timer procedurefor the dual connection scenarios becomes more complicated.

In accordance with some implementations, techniques or mechanismsprovide a discard timer procedure in scenarios where a UE has dualconcurrent connections (or more generally, multiple concurrentconnections) with multiple wireless access network nodes. As discussedfurther below, in some implementations, one discard timer can beprovided in the macro wireless access network node 104, while anotherdiscard timer is provided in the small cell wireless access networknode. In such implementations, it can be challenging to configure thediscard timer of the small cell wireless access network node with anappropriate value that defines the discard time interval. As discussedfurther below, information can be provided by the macro wireless accessnetwork node 104 to the small cell wireless access network node toconfigure the discard timer in the small cell wireless access networknode with an appropriate value.

In other implementations, the discard timers for both data unitstransmitted by the wireless access network node 104 and the small cellwireless access node are deployed at the wireless access network node104. The multiple discard timers at the macro wireless access networknode include a macro cell discard timer (for data units sent by the PDCPlayer to a lower protocol layer in the macro wireless access networknode 104) and at least one small cell discard timer (for data units sentby the PDCP layer to a lower protocol layer in the small cell wirelessaccess network node).

Upon expiration of the small cell discard timer in the macro wirelessaccess network node 104, a discard indication is sent by the macrowireless access network node to the small cell wireless access networknode, to cause discarding of the corresponding PDCP PDU at the smallcell wireless access network node. However, due to latency of thebackhaul link between the macro wireless access network node 104 and thesmall cell wireless access network node, the discard indication maycause the wrong PDCP PDU to be discarded at the small cell wirelessaccess network node. Accordingly, in accordance with someimplementations, specific identifiers (discussed further below) areincluded in the discard indication to ensure that the correct PDCP PDUis discarded.

In the ensuing discussion, reference is made to mobile communicationsnetworks that operate according to the Long-Term Evolution (LTE)standards as provided by the Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP). The LTE standards are also referred to as the Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) standards.

Although reference is made to E-UTRA in the ensuing discussion, it isnoted that techniques or mechanisms according to some implementationscan be applied to other wireless access technologies, such as 5G (fifthgeneration) wireless access technologies, 6G wireless accesstechnologies, wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies (e.g. asprovided by IEEE 802.11), and so forth.

In an E-UTRA network, a wireless access network node can be implementedas an enhanced Node B (eNB), which includes functionalities of a basestation and base station controller. Thus, in an E-UTRA network, a macrowireless access network node is referred to as a macro eNB (e.g. 104 inFIG. 1). In an E-UTRA network, small cell wireless access network nodescan be referred to as small cell eNBs (e.g. 108 and 114 in FIG. 1).

In an E-UTRA network, the control node 124 in the core network 122 canbe implemented as a mobility management entity (MME). An MME is acontrol node for performing various control tasks associated with anE-UTRA network. For example, the MME can perform idle mode UE trackingand paging, bearer activation and deactivation, selection of a servinggateway (discussed further below) when the UE initially attaches to theE-UTRA network, handover of the UE between macro eNBs, authentication ofa user, generation and allocation of a temporary identity to a UE, andso forth. In other examples, the MME can perform other or alternativetasks.

In an E-UTRA network, the data gateway 126 of the core network 122 caninclude a serving gateway (SGW) and a packet data network gateway(PDN-GW). The SGW routes and forwards traffic data packets of a UEserved by the SGW. The SGW can also act as a mobility anchor for theuser plane during handover procedures. The SGW provides connectivitybetween the UE and the PDN 124. The PDN-GW is the entry and egress pointfor data communicated between a UE in the E-UTRA network and a networkelement coupled to the PDN 128. Note that there can be multiple PDNs andcorresponding PDN-GWs. Moreover, there can be multiple MMEs and SGWs.

FIG. 2 shows the control plane connectivity among the macro eNB 104,small cell eNB 108 or 114, and the MME 124. FIG. 3 shows the user planeconnectivity among the macro eNB 104, small cell eNB 108 or 114, and anSGW 302 (which corresponds to the data gateway 126 of FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, inter-eNB control plane signaling (signaling betweenthe macro eNB 104 and the small cell eNB 108 or 114) for dualconnectivity is performed using messaging over an X2 interface (morespecifically the X2-C interface) as provided by the E-UTRA standards.Control plane signaling between the macro eNB 104 and the MME 124 isperformed over an S1-MME interface, as provided by the E-UTRA standards.Coordination between the macro eNB 104 and small cell eNB 108 or 114 isperformed using X2-C interface signaling.

FIG. 3 depicts the user plane connectivity among the SGW 302. Theconnection between the macro eNB 104 and the SGW 302 is over an S1-Uinterface, as provided by the E-UTRA standards. The connection betweenthe macro eNB 104 and the small cell eNB 108 or 114 is over an X2-Uinterface, as provided by the E-UTRA standards.

There are three possible bearer options for user plane datacommunications. A first bearer option is a Master Cell Group (MCG)bearer option. A “bearer” can refer to a radio access bearer, such as anE-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) RadioAccess Bearer (E-RAB), which is used to transport data between a UE anda core network node, such as the SGW 302. A data radio bearer (DRB) isused to transport the data of the E-RAB between a UE and an eNB.Reference to offloading a radio access bearer can refer to eitheroffloading a given E-RAB or the corresponding DRB.

With the MCG bearer option, user plane data is communicated between themacro eNB 104 and the SGW 302 over the S1-U interface, and between themacro eNB 104 and the UE over the respective wireless connection. Asmall cell eNB is not involved in the transport of user plane data withthe MCG bearer option.

A second bearer option is a split bearer option, in which user planedata is communicated between the macro eNB 104 and the SGW 302 over theS1-U interface. In addition, user plane data is also carried over theX2-U interface between the macro eNB 104 and the small cell eNB 108 or114. A portion of the user plane data can be communicated between thesmall cell eNB and the UE, while another portion of the user plane datacan be communicated between the macro eNB and the UE. In both thedownlink and uplink directions, user plane data communicated by thesmall cell eNB with the UE passes over the X2-U connection between themacro eNB 104 and the small cell eNB.

A third bearer option is a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) bearer option, inwhich user plane data is carried between the small cell eNB 108 or 114and the SGW 302 directly over an S1-U interface (as shown in FIG. 3),without passing over the X2-U interface between the small cell eNB 108or 114 and the macro eNB 104.

The discard timer solutions discussed in the present disclosure can beused with the split bearer option discussed above. Note however, thatthe discard timer solutions discussed in the present disclosure can alsobe applied in other contexts.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of user plane protocol stacks in the macroeNB 104 and the small cell eNB 108 or 114. In the macro eNB 104, theuser plane protocol stack can include the following protocol layers: aPDCP layer 402, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer 404, a Medium AccessControl (MAC) layer 406, and a physical (PHY) layer 408.

Depending on where the user plane protocol stack split occurs, at leastsome of these protocol layers can be included in the small cell eNB 108or 114. Splitting a user plane protocol stack at a given point resultsin multiple user plane paths, with one user plane path through the macroeNB 104 and another user plane path through the small cell eNB.

Distribution of user plane data along the different user plane paths caninvolve data distribution at the radio bearer (RB) level. Thus, forexample, data of some data radio bearers (DRBs) can be communicated overthe user plane path through the small cell eNB 108 or 114, while data ofother DRBs can be communicated over the user plane path through themacro eNB 104. Communicating data of some DRBs over a user plane paththat extends through a small cell eNB can be referred to as offloadingthe data of such DRBs from the macro eNB to the small cell eNB.

Assuming the split occurs after the PDCP layer 402, the protocol stackof the small cell eNB 108 or 114 can include an RLC layer 410, a MAClayer 412, and a PHY layer 414. A split of user plane protocol stack atanother point can result in different protocol layers provided in thesmall cell eNB.

Note that there can be other protocol layers in the macro eNB 104 andthe small cell eNB 108 or 114 that are not shown in FIG. 4. Note alsothat similar protocol layers are also present in a UE.

The physical layer 408 or 414 is the lowest layer in the correspondingnode. The physical layer 408 or 414 can include networking hardware fortransmitting signals over a wireless link. The MAC layer 406 or 412provides addressing and channel access control mechanisms.

The RLC layer 404 or 410 can provide at least some of the followingexample functionalities, as described in 3GPP TS 36.322:

transfer of upper layer PDUs (from the PDCP layer 402);

error correction, such as by using Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ);

concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs;

reordering of RLC data PDUs;

duplicate data detection;

discarding of an RLC SDU;

RLC re-establishment; and

protocol error detection.

The PDCP layer 402 can provide at least some of the followingfunctionalities in the user plane, as described in 3GPP TS 36.323:

header compression and decompression;

transfer of user data;

in-sequence delivery of upper layer PDUs;

duplicate detection of lower layer SDUs;

retransmission of PDCP SDUs;

ciphering and deciphering; and

timer-based SDU discard.

Providing Small Cell Discard Timer in Small Cell eNB

As discussed above, in accordance with some implementations, discardtimers are deployed in both the macro eNB 104 and the small cell eNB.The discard timer in the small cell eNB can be referred to as a “smallcell discard timer,” while the discard timer in the macro eNB can bereferred to as a “macro cell discard timer.”

FIG. 5 shows further details of components of the PDCP layer 402 in themacro eNB 104, as well as components of a PDCP PDU logic 502 in thesmall cell eNB 108 or 114. The PDCP PDU logic 502 is included in thesmall cell eNB for managing PDCP PDUs (such as PDU 504) received overthe X2-U interface from the macro eNB 104.

It is noted that FIG. 5 depicts an operation for communication ofdownlink data (data received from the core network 122 of FIG. 1 andpassed through the macro eNB 104 and possibly the small cell eNB 108 or114 to the UE).

The PDCP layer 402 in the macro eNB 104 includes a PDCP SDU buffer 506,for storing PDCP SDUs (SDU1 and SDU2 depicted in the example of FIG. 5)received from a higher protocol layer, which can be in a separate node,such as the SGW 302 shown in FIG. 3. The PDCP layer 402 also includes aPDCP SDU buffer manager 508, for managing the PDCP SDU buffer 506.

The PDCP layer 402 also includes an SDU processing logic 510, forprocessing each SDU in the PDCP SDU buffer 506. As examples, the SDUprocessing logic 510 can perform header compression and also can add aPDCP header, to form a PDCP PDU that is transmitted by the PDCP layer402 to a lower protocol layer, which can be either the RLC layer 404 inthe macro eNB 104 or the RLC layer 410 in the small cell eNB.

In the example of FIG. 5, a PDCP PDU 504 is shown as being sent from thePDCP layer 402 to the small cell eNB. In accordance with someimplementations, a PDCP PDU received from the macro eNB 104 is stored ina PDCP PDU buffer 512 in a PDCP PDU buffer manager 524. The PDCP PDUbuffer 512 and the PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 are both part of the PDCPPDU logic 502 in the small cell eNB. The PDCP PDU buffer manager 524manages PDCP PDUs in the PDCP PDU buffer 512.

In some implementations, for an acknowledged data transfer service, thePDCP layer 402 expects to receive an indication of successful deliveryof PDCP PDUs from an RLC layer, which can include the RLC layer 404 inthe macro eNB 104 or the RLC layer 410 in the small cell eNB, dependingon which data path the respective PDU was sent. Such acknowledged datatransfer service is described in 3GPP TS 36.323, for example.

Any unacknowledged PDCP SDU is kept in the PDCP SDU buffer 506. For afirst PDCP SDU (SDU1 in FIG. 5) that is transmitted to the RLC layer 404in the macro eNB 104, a macro cell discard timer 516 is associated withSDU1. For a second PDCP SDU (SDU2 in FIG. 5) that is transmitted to theRLC layer 410 in the small cell eNB, a small cell discard timer 518(which is part of the PDCP PDU logic 502 of the small cell eNB) isassociated with the SDU2.

Note that each PDCP SDU in the PDCP SDU buffer is associated with arespective discard timer, either a macro cell discard timer or a smallcell discard timer, depending on which path the respective PDCP SDU isto be transmitted on.

For SDU1 associated with the macro cell discard timer 516, if the macrocell discard timer 516 expires, then SDU1 is removed from the PDCP SDUbuffer 506 and discarded. If SDU1 or part of SDU1 is already deliveredto the RLC layer 404 in the macro eNB 104, the corresponding PDU in theRLC layer will be removed. However, for SDU2 that is sent to the RLClayer 410 in the small cell eNB, the discarding of SDU2 is based onexpiration of the small cell discard timer 518.

If the small cell discard timer 518 expires, then the respective PDCPPDU is removed from the PDCP PDU buffer 512 by the PDCP PDU buffermanager 524. In addition, the PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 sends adiscard indication to the macro eNB 104, where this discard indicationcan indicate expiration of the small cell discard timer 518 or canindicate discarding of a respective PDCP PDU. This discard indicationcan be included in a PDCP PDU status report, for example, or can beincluded in some other message sent by the small cell eNB to the macroeNB 104.

As an example, the PDCP status report can indicate a sequence number ofa discarded PDCP PDU in the small cell eNB due to expiration of thesmall cell discard timer 518. Note that the PDCP status report caninclude multiple sequence numbers of multiple discarded PDCP PDUs due toexpiration of respective small cell discard timers 518.

In response to receiving the discard indication from the PDCP PDU buffermanager 524, the PDCP SDU buffer manager 508 removes the correspondingSDU2 from the PDCP SDU buffer 506 and discards SDU2.

The PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 keeps a PDCP PDU in the PDCP PDU buffer512 so long as the PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 has not received anindication from the RLC layer 410 of successful delivery of the PDCPPDU. In response to an indication of successful delivery of a PDCP PDU,the PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 resets the small cell discard timer 518and also removes the PDCP PDU from the PDCP PDU buffer 512. However, ifthe RLC layer 410 does not provide an indication of successful deliveryof the PDCP PDU, then the small cell discard timer 518 expires aftersome specified amount of time. Note that each PDCP PDU in the PDCP PDUbuffer 512 is associated with a respective different small cell discardtimer 518 that is started with receipt of each respective PDCP PDU.

Configuration of the small cell discard timer 518 for each respectivePDCP PDU is based on various delays that can be experienced by traversalof user plane data corresponding to the PDCP PDU through the macro eNB104, the X2-U interface, and through the small cell eNB. In someexamples, the overall delivery time for a PDCP SDU over a split bearer(that includes the macro eNB 104 and the small cell eNB) is based on anaggregation of the following three delays: (1) a buffering delay in thePDCP layer 402 of the macro eNB 104, including delay in buffering thePDCP SDU in the PDCP SDU buffer 506, (2) a delivery delay over the X2-Uinterface, and (3) a buffering delay through the PDCP PDU buffer 512 andthe RLC and MAC layers 410 and 412 (and/or other protocol layers) in thesmall cell eNB.

If the small cell discard timer 518 is not configured properly toaccount for the various delays of the overall delivery time of a PDCPSDU, then the small cell discard timer 518 may not accurately track theamount of time involved in delivering user plane data of the PDCP SDU.In some cases, the small cell discard timer 518 may be set to track tooshort a time interval. In other cases, the small cell discard timer 518may be configured to track too long a time interval.

It is noted that the small cell eNB is not aware of the buffering delayin the PDCP layer 402 in the macro eNB 104. In accordance with someimplementations, the macro eNB 104 (and more specifically, the PDCP SDUbuffer manager 508 or a different entity) can send an indication of thebuffering delay in the PDCP layer 402 to the small cell eNB (and morespecifically, to the PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 or another entity inthe small cell eNB). The PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 (or another entity)configures the small cell discard timer 518, using the buffering delayof the PDCP layer 402 sent by the macro eNB 104, and further using delayinformation relating to delivery delay over the X2-U interface and thebuffering delay in the small cell eNB.

Note that the delivery delay over the X2-U interface (referred to as a“backhaul delay”) can be variable depending on the traffic load of theX2-U interface and the bandwidth of the X2-U interface. In someimplementations, whenever the PDCP layer 402 of the macro eNB 104 sendsa PDCP PDU over the X2-U interface, the macro eNB 104 can include atransmission timestamp of the PDCP PDU. Upon receipt of the PDCP PDUwith the transmission timestamp, the small cell eNB can determine thebackhaul delay for each individual PDCP PDU over the X2-U interface, bysubtracting the timestamp corresponding to when the PDCP PDU wasreceived by the small cell eNB from the transmission timestamp. In suchexamples, the small cell eNB is able to determine the specific backhauldelay for each individual PDCP PDU, and can configure the respectivesmall cell discard timer 518 accordingly. Different PDCP PDUs may beassociated with different backhaul delays over the X2-U interface, inwhich case the respective small cell discard timers 518 can beconfigured differently to account for these different backhaul delaysover the X2-U interface.

In other implementations, instead of computing the backhaul delay foreach individual PDCP PDU, an average of the backhaul delays can becomputed, by computing an average (or some other aggregate) of thebackhaul delays experienced by multiple PDCP PDUs. The average backhauldelay can be estimated by a delay calculation logic 520 in the PDCPlayer 402 of the macro eNB 104. Alternatively, the average backhauldelay can be calculated by a delay calculation logic 522 in the PDCP PDUcontrol logic 502 of the small cell eNB.

Configuring the small cell discard timer 518 can refer to setting thesmall cell discard timer 518 to count or track a specified period oftime. This specified period of time can be based on summing thebuffering delay of the PDCP layer 402, the backhaul delivery delay, andthe buffering delay in the small cell eNB. In other examples, otheraggregations of the buffering delay in the PDCP layer 402, the backhauldeliver delay, and the buffering delay in a small cell eNB can be usedfor determining the specified amount of time to be tracked or counted bythe small cell discard timer 518.

FIG. 6 is a message flow diagram according to some implementations. Themacro eNB 104 determines (at 602) the buffering delay associated withthe PDCP layer 402. In some examples, when a given SDU is received atthe PDCP layer 402, a timer is started to track the buffering delay inthe PDCP SDU buffer 506. At the time that a given SDU is delivered tothe small cell eNB, the corresponding timer value is the buffering delayof the given SDU in the PDCP SDU buffer 506. In other examples, othertechniques may be used to determine the buffering delay of an SDU in thePDCP SDU buffer 506.

The macro eNB 104 can then send (at 604) an indication to the small celleNB of the PDCP buffering delay, for each PDCP PDU delivered by themacro eNB 104 to the small cell eNB. The buffering delay indication canbe included in a message that is sent from the macro eNB 104 to thesmall cell eNB. The PDCP buffering delay can be indicated as an absolutetime value (e.g. a specific amount of time of the buffering delay), oras an index that can be set to multiple different values. The differentvalues of the index can represent different ranges of PDCP bufferingdelays. For example, a first value of the index represents a delay in afirst range (e.g. less than 10 milliseconds or ms), a second value ofthe index represents a delay in a second range (e.g. 10 ms to 20 ms),and a third value of the index represents a delay in a third range (e.g.greater than 20 ms).

In response to the indication of the PDCP buffering delay received fromthe macro eNB 104, the small cell eNB configures (at 606) a respectivesmall cell discard timer 518 in the small cell eNB, as discussed above.

Providing Small Cell Discard Timer in Macro eNB

Instead of providing the small cell discard timer 518 in the small celleNB as depicted in FIG. 5, the small cell discard timer 518, as well asthe macro cell discard timer 516, can both be provided in the macro eNB104, as shown in FIG. 7. In the FIG. 7 implementation, the small celleNB does not include any small cell discard timer.

The macro cell discard timer 516 is used for a first PDCP PDUcommunicated via the macro eNB 104 to the UE, and the small cell discardtimer 518 is used for a second PDCP PDU communicated via the small celleNB. When the small cell discard timer 518 expires for a particular PDCPSDU, the PDCP SDU buffer manager 508 removes the particular PDCP SDUfrom the PDCP SDU buffer 506, and also causes removal of thecorresponding PDCP PDU from the PDCP PDU buffer 512 in the small celleNB. To remove the corresponding PDCP PDU from the PDCP PDU buffer 512in the small cell eNB, the macro eNB 104 sends a discard indication tothe PDCP PDU buffer manager 524 in the small cell eNB to clear thecorresponding PDCP PDU (to cause removal of the corresponding PDCP PDUfrom the PDCP PDU buffer 512 in the small cell eNB).

The discard indication sent by the macro eNB 104 includes an identifierof the particular PDCP PDU to be discarded. This identifier can includea sequence number of the PDCP PDU, which incrementally increases as PDCPPDUs are successively sent by the macro eNB 104 to the small cell eNB.

Note that the sequence number of a PDCP PDU is represented as a numberof bits. PDCP PDUs can be carried in a hyperframe (or some other datastructure). Due to the finite number of bits (e.g. five bits or someother number of bits) used to represent the PDU sequence number, anygiven sequence number can be re-used in different hyperframes.

Due to the backhaul delay over the X2 interface between the macro eNB104 and the small cell eNB, the discard indication sent by the macro eNB104 may experience some amount of delay. As an example, the macro eNB104 may send the discard indication that includes a sequence number SN=Yfor a PDCP PDU in hyperframe X, which should trigger discarding of thePDCP PDU with SN=Y in hyperframe X. However, due to the backhaul delayover the X2 interface, the discard indication may arrive at the smallcell eNB late, at which time the small cell eNB may already becommunicating PDCP PDUs in hyperframe X+1. Receipt of the late discardindication may cause discarding of the PDCP PDU with SN=Y In hyperframeX+1, rather than the intended discarding of the PDCP PDU with SN=Y inhyperframe X.

To avoid the discarding of an incorrect PDCP PDU at the small cell eNBdue to late arrival of a discard indication, the discard indication canbe configured to further include an identifier of the hyperframe (e.g.hyperframe number or HFN) in addition to the PDU sequence number.

Inclusion of both the HFN and the sequence number of the PDCP PDU to bediscarded allows the small cell eNB to identify the correct PDCP PDU todiscard. Discarding the incorrect PDCP PDU may result in reduced systemthroughput or errors.

In some implementations, the discard indication sent by the macro eNB104 to the small cell eNB can be in an SCG-ConfigInfo informationelement, as provided by 3GPP TS 36.300 and 36.331. The SCG-ConfigInfoinformation element can be included in an X2-AP: SeNBModificationRequestmessage, and is used to deliver radio resource control information froma macro cell to a small cell.

FIG. 8 is a message flow diagram of a process according to someimplementations. The macro eNB 104 sends (at 802) an SCG-ConfigInfoinformation element to the small cell eNB, where the SCG-ConfigInfoinformation element carries a discard indication that includes an HFNand SN of a PDCP PDU to be discarded by the small cell eNB.

In response to the received discard indication, the small cell eNBremoves (at 804) the identified PDCP PDU (based on the HFN and SN in thediscard indication) from the PDCP PDU buffer 512 (FIG. 7), and discardsthe PDCP PDU.

The small cell eNB sends (at 806) an acknowledgment of the discardindication back to the macro eNB 104. The acknowledgment can be carriedin an SCG-Configuration information element included in the X2-AP:SeNBModificationRequest message.

Note that when the small cell eNB sends back a PDCP PDU status report,the status report does not have to include SNs of the discarded PDU,since macro eNB 104 already has the information.

In general, according to some implementations, a macro wireless accessnetwork node sends an SCG-ConfigInfo information element to a small cellwireless access network node, where the SCG-ConfigInfo informationelement includes a discard indication that identifies a data unit todiscard.

In further implementations, the discard indication can identify aspecific data unit to be discarded by including an identifier of a datastructure carrying data units, and a sequence number of the specificdata unit.

In further implementations, the data structure carrying data units canbe a hyperframe, and the identifier of the hyperframe can be ahyperframe number.

Computer Architecture

The various tasks discussed above can be performed by machine-readableinstructions that can be executed on one or multiple processors, such asprocessor(s) 530 (FIG. 5 or 7) in the macro eNB 104, or processor(s) 534in the small cell eNB. A processor can include a microprocessor,microcontroller, processor module or subsystem, programmable integratedcircuit, programmable gate array, or another control or computingdevice.

The machine-readable instructions can be stored in non-transitorymachine-readable or computer-readable storage media, such as storagemedium (or storage media) 532 (FIG. 5 or 7) in the macro eNB 104, orstorage medium (or storage media) 536 in the small cell eNB.

The storage media can include different forms of memory includingsemiconductor memory devices such as dynamic or static random accessmemories (DRAMs or SRAMs), erasable and programmable read-only memories(EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories(EEPROMs) and flash memories; magnetic disks such as fixed, floppy andremovable disks; other magnetic media including tape; optical media suchas compact disks (CDs) or digital video disks (DVDs); or other types ofstorage devices. Note that the instructions discussed above can beprovided on one computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, oralternatively, can be provided on multiple computer-readable ormachine-readable storage media distributed in a large system havingpossibly plural nodes. Such computer-readable or machine-readablestorage medium or media is (are) considered to be part of an article (orarticle of manufacture). An article or article of manufacture can referto any manufactured single component or multiple components. The storagemedium or media can be located either in the machine running themachine-readable instructions, or located at a remote site from whichmachine-readable instructions can be downloaded over a network forexecution.

In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth to providean understanding of the subject disclosed herein. However,implementations may be practiced without some of these details. Otherimplementations may include modifications and variations from thedetails discussed above. It is intended that the appended claims coversuch modifications and variations.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a first wireless access network node from a second wireless access network node, delay information relating to a delay in buffering data at a protocol layer in the second wireless access network node; and configuring, by the first wireless access network node, a discard timer based on the received delay information for a packet to be sent to a user equipment.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the protocol layer is a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the received delay information relates to a delay in buffering a PDCP service data unit (SDU) at the PDCP layer.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein configuring the discard timer for the packet comprises configuring the discard timer for a PDCP protocol data unit (PDU).
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the discard timer comprises configuring the discard timer to count a specified length of time based on the received delay information.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the discard timer comprises configuring the discard timer to count a specified length of time based on the received delay information, a delay associated with communication over a link between the first and second wireless access network nodes, and a delay of buffering the packet at the first wireless access network node.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the delay associated with communication over the link between the first and second wireless access network nodes comprises a measured delay for the packet.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the measured delay is measured by one of the first and second wireless access network nodes.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the delay associated with communication over the link between the first and second wireless access network nodes comprises an average delay for packets communicated over the link.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the first wireless access network node over a link from the second wireless access network node, further delay information, the further delay information indicating a delay of communication over the link, wherein configuring the discard timer is based additionally on the further delay information.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: starting, by the first wireless access network node, the discard timer in response to receipt of the packet from the second wireless access network node.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: in response to expiration of the discard timer, discarding the packet.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: in response to receiving an indication of successful delivery of the packet, resetting the discard timer.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the delay information comprises receiving the delay information as an absolute time of the delay.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the delay information comprises receiving the delay information as an index settable to a plurality of values that represent respective delay ranges.
 15. A first wireless access network node comprising: a protocol layer; a network interface to communicate with a second wireless access network node over a link; and at least one processor, wherein the protocol layer comprises machine-readable instructions executable on the at least one processor, and the at least one processor is configured to: send, over the link to the second wireless access network node, delay information pertaining to buffering of data at the protocol layer of the first wireless access network node, wherein sending the delay information is to cause configuring of a discard timer at the second wireless access network node based on the delay information.
 16. The first wireless access network node of claim 15, wherein the protocol layer is a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the delay information relates to a delay in buffering a PDCP service data unit (SDU) at the PDCP layer.
 17. The first wireless access network node of claim 16, wherein the PDCP layer is executable on the at least one processor to receive the PDCP SDU from a higher protocol layer, and to send a PDCP protocol data unit (PDU) corresponding to the PDCP SDU to a lower level protocol layer in the second wireless access network node.
 18. The first wireless access network node of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to further send, over the link to the second wireless access network node, further delay information of communication over the link, wherein the further delay information is to cause the second wireless access network node to configure the discard timer based further on the further delay information.
 19. A first wireless access network node comprising: a discard timer; a network interface to communicate with a second wireless access network node over a link; and at least one processor configured to: receive, from the second wireless access network node, delay information relating to a delay in buffering data at a protocol layer in the second wireless access network node; and configure the discard timer based on the received delay information for a packet to be sent to a user equipment.
 20. The first wireless access network node of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to configure the discard timer to count a specified length of time based on the received delay information, a communication delay over the link, and a buffering delay in the first wireless access network node. 